Payment Methods

If students are not using financial aid, the program price must be
paid in full by the final forms and payment due date unless a payment plan has been confirmed and is in place.

Participants may pay their balance by check, debit, or credit card.

Personal Checks:

Make payable to ISA. Mail to the ISA Austin Office and include the participants name and program information.

Money orders and cashier's checks are also accepted.

There is a $40 fee for all returned checks.

If check is returned, a money order, cashier's check, or debit/credit card payment is required for all future payments.

Debit Cards & Credit Cards:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard, and Discover are accepted.

Debit and credit card payments can be submitted directly through the ISA Student Portal.

If someone other that the participant is paying on their behalf, they can submit the ISA Credit Card Authorization Form, which can be found on the left-hand column of this page.

ISA Payment Plan:

ISA is happy to offer the option of a payment plan for students and their families who need a little more time to make payment arrangements. There is a $150 fee for the plan, which should be arranged by the final forms and payment due date for your ISA program. The first payment is also due at that time. The remaining balance is broken up into installments, with the last payment due no later than 2 weeks before the start of the program.

Please contact the appropriate ISA Program Manager or financialaid@studiesabroad.com in order to set up a payment plan.

529 & College Savings Funds:

ISA is happy to accept any funds that are applicable to the study abroad program. However, the rules for the use of funds from 529 and college savings accounts vary by provider and by home university.

We have had a number of families who have found that there would be no issue in the 529 provider releasing funds to them for payment of the program (with or without a Title IV federal school code) and some others who found that the funds could only be used if applied through the US university (which may or may not be able to assist with the process).

Should the 529 provider require a Title IV federal school code, you may want to speak with your US university about whether they would be able to process the funds for use towards the ISA program at an overseas university.

If you have additional questions, please contact financialaid@studiesabroad.com for further information.

GI Bill & Veterans Benefits:

We have had a number of students use Veterans Benefits/GI Bill to pay for a portion of their study abroad program with ISA. This process seems to be determined by the student's US university, as we have also had some students who have determined with their home university that the benefits are not payable for their term abroad.

The Veterans Affairs Office, the Financial Aid Office, and the Study Abroad office will need to collaborate in order to determine if and how the benefits available will transfer to the study abroad program.

A recent posting regarding the use of the GI Bill funds for study abroad stated that, "the student must be enrolled in courses that will apply to the student's program. In this case, the VA can pay the cost of the home school's tuition up to the in-state maximum, and can pay a monthly stipend for room and board, as long as the student is enrolled for more than half-time, as well as a stipend for books and supplies. The VA can only cover the cost of any fees specific to study abroad (such as study abroad administrative fees, airfare, etc.) if the study abroad is mandatory for the student's program. Benefits are only payable up to the benefit payment tier for which the student is eligible."

ISA recommends the student visits the Veterans Affairs office on campus or contact the regional representative to inquire about applying GI funds to the ISA program of interest.

Payments may be made using any combination of checks, debit cards, and credit cards.